


Something Old, Something New

by charbax



Category: Paladins: Champions Of The Realm (Video Game)
Genre: AND ITS GONNA STAY THAT WAY AMEN, F/F, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hair Braiding, M/M, PCOTRPrideWeek, kinessa in a tux is a joy to imagine, secondary characters: cassie and viktor, wedding fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 18:19:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15149072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charbax/pseuds/charbax
Summary: Kinessa and Strix help calm each other’s nerves before a big day. Platonic Kinessa & Strix with minor Kinessie and Striktor.





	Something Old, Something New

**Author's Note:**

> Written for PCOTRPrideWeek on tumblr! I'm very late. Check out the blog galpaladinsoftherealm on tumblr if you want more gals being pals.

Kinessa was surprised she hadn’t worn the floor out when she paced for the 134th time; her tux felt suffocating, the bowtie seemed to choke her, and her hands shook no many how many times she cracked her knuckles. As she finished crossing for the 135th time, she heard the shift of the doorway curtains and someone stepping into the room.

“You nervous?” Strix asked. He looked equally as sharp in his own tux, even with his hair free-falling and holding a box of beads in his hands. And he had none of Kinessa’s nervousness. At least, it would be easy to assume so. But Kinessa knew her former teacher for years, she could recognise the way his eyes kept darting around the room, how his fingers kept returning to his bracelets to fiddle at the beads, the blank-face mask he used when he was on missions.

“Yeah.” She admitted, and dropped into a cross-legged sit. “Pa? Come here.”

Strix walked over to her and sat down with her. She gestured for the box, then made a turning motion with her finger. He obediently did so. Now that his back was facing her, she carefully parted his hair into two parts, and started braiding one. They sat in silence as Kinessa worked on his hair, reaching into the box to pull out a bead or two occasionally, just like she had a hundred, a thousand times before in another time. Strix had showed her how he usually braided his hair when she was younger, and when she grew older and chopped off her own hair, it became  _their_  thing, something that soothed them in the bad times, and gave them contentment in the good. Kinessa could do this with her eyes closed, but kept them open for the sake of colour matching the beads with Strix’s suit.

When Kinessa’s fingers finally became steady after a few repetitions, she voiced her concerns out loud. “I gotta say, I’m nervous.”

“It’s just a wedding. You’ve been to them before. All you gotta do is walk down the aisle and stand at the end. I gave you harder lessons than that kid.”

Kinessa snorted at the nickname.  Strix continued. “Besides, Cassie will be waiting for you. You know, the girl you told me you wanted to marry the moment you met her.”

No matter how many times Strix playfully needled her about Cassie, it never failed to send a flush to Kinessa’s face. “I know, I know.” She stayed silent for a moment as she worked out a knot carefully. “How you holding up though?”

“...I’m holding.” Strix said finally. “More worried about the people watching than the actual ceremony though.”

“Hey, they’re here because they want to be here.” Kinessa tied off the first of the section, and began on the last part of Strix’s hair. She combed it with her fingers and Strix hummed. “Besides, Viktor’s gonna be there too. He’s probably gonna be the one staring the most.”

Strix muttered something like ‘I don’t mind when he does though’ to which Kinessa laughed, almost dropping the hair decorations she was holding. They didn’t have much to say after that, and when she wove the last bead and tied the whole braid off, she scooted closer on Strix’s side so she could lay her head on his shoulder.

“Thanks.” She said. “For everything.”

The hand that held onto hers said everything he didn’t.

He was steady as he stood up again, giving Kinessa a hand up as well. His hand skimmed over his new braids, admiring the feel of Kinessa’s handiwork. Strix chose forgo the warpaint today, and his smile was clear, however slight it was. “Good job as always.” He complimented.

Kinessa herself preferred simplicity (well that was what she called her own style, but it was perhaps a more common knowledge to describe it as ‘disaster lesbian’), but just this once, she was glad she managed to weave a wide variety of beads into intricate patterns to match his bracelets and necklace. She even managed to slip in a few white ones, for the wedding. Her best work yet if she did say so herself.

“No problems. Now let’s rock the joint.”

They left the room, walking through a corridor, and arrived in front of a set of double doors. Kinessa took a deep breath, then out, just as she had been trained. Her hands were  _definitely_ resembled more of a trained sharpshooter, and she wanted to keep it that way. After a few moments, music swelled on the other side, muffled by the thick wooden doors. Strix held out his arm. “Ready when you are.”

Kinessa threaded an arm through his and grinned. “Ready.”

As one, they pushed the doors open. They were greeted immediately by an aisle lined with petals. People were sitting on pure white wooden chairs – hand-made courtesy of Viktor – and had bright smiles on their faces. The grass was soft and springy under Kinessa’s dress shoes, the sunlight dappled through the trees flashed spots of warmth on their walk down the aisle. Music rang in her ears, but all she could concentrate on was the person standing next to Viktor at the end.

Cassie was nothing short of  _etheral_. Sunlight fell directly onto her, illuminating her hair in a fiery red and reflecting off her pale green dress in a heavenly light. But it could not compare to the absolute joy in Cassie’s face when she saw Kinessa. Kinessa nearly tripped over her feet during what could be the longest walk in her whole life. She heard Strix chuckle next to her but she was beyond caring at this point.

They reached the altar, and the music was hastily cut off, most likely due to Kinessa almost speed-walking faster than she did in rehearsals. “Hey sugar.” Kinessa whispered.

“Hey.” Cassie echoed back, elated. Kinessa gave one last smile...then stepped into the position of best man. On the other side, Cassie gave a little wave. She waved back, then turned her attention back to the soon-to-be-husbands, with one busy admiring the other’s beaded hair to pay attention to the preacher. Strix was well aware of the staring, judging by his delighted blush. Revenge was a dish best served at a wedding, next to an actual wedding cake, Kinessa thought to herself. So with her vengeance satisfied, she tuned into the preacher’s words.

“Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to witness the joining of these two men, Viktor and Strix...”


End file.
